As a result of the accountability movement, there is a new interest in superintendent performance evaluation. The new approach to superintendent evaluation demands that superintendents be allowed to help boards of education develop criteria, job descriptions, and performance evaluation processes. A functional system of performance appraisal must be highly structured, complex, ongoing, time-consuming, and somewhat expensive to introduce. Most superintendents desire an evaluation system that (1) measures reality, (2) considers only variables that can be controlled, (3) spells out criteria clearly, (4) is objective, and (5) permits superindendents to have a voice in determining goals and measurement criteria. One good example of a superintendent appraisal instrument is the job description developed by the New York Iroquois Central School District. This instrument clearly spells out the superintendent's powers, duties, and responsibilities. Another good instrument, developed by Alton Farnsworth at the State University of New York at Albany, deals with both broad areas of performance and specific factors affecting performance. A third excellent example, used by the Alameda Unified School District, lists broad superintendent goals and includes specific objectives, relevant activities, time limits, and criteria for measurement. (Author/JM)

Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National School Boards Association (38th, Anaheim, California, April 1-4, 1978); Not available in paper copy due to marginal legibility of figures and charts